We'll start with Canteen, whose commitment—and, in retrospect, original offer—signals bad news for anyone holding out hope of Michigan landing Top-100 FL WR Artavis Scott, who announces this week at The Opening (likely for Clemson). While losing out on Scott would obviously be bad news, Canteen is not some cheap consolation prize — as you'll see below, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that he's poised for a leap up the rankings.

HIGH SCHOOL

I'm moving this section up to the top because it'll help explain everything below. I'll also be lazy and blockquote what I posted in a previous recruiting roundup:

Both prospects attend Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy, which is essentially this sport's answer to hoops factory Oak Hill Academy—the academy itself is built entirely around the football program and attendees take their coursework through a larger online program. Their quarterback is David Sills, whom you may remember as the (then-)13-year-old who committed to USC, and now you exactly why USC offered such a player so early: his father, David Sills IV, is the founder of ECA. The program only played three games in 2012, as five opponents cancelled planned matchups, so what you see above—serious technique work (that's Canteen talking at the start of the video)—is what largely constituted their season, and now they're hitting the camp circuit very hard.

As ECA coach Dwayne Thomas explained to ESPN's Chantel Jennings after his players' commitments this morning, their under-the-radar status can be attributed to factors even beyond the lack of a real season last year:

So while the headquarters for Eastern Christian Academy is in Maryland, the two boys are actually from Delaware, which has been a reason why the two prospects haven’t had a ton of attention, according to their coach.

“Being that we’re from Delaware, a lot of coaches don’t get a chance to see them in the spring because there is no spring football,” Thomas said. “So as they get out and get to camps, schools get a chance to see what their talent is.”

Camps have been the only real chance these players have had to get themselves noticed, what with the mostly-cancelled season and no spring ball.

The rankings for Canteen are all over the place for now. Rivals has him just within four-star range (the #48 WR, PSU commit Chris Godwin, is the last four-star at the position). Scout and 247 have him well outside of four-star range, while ESPN hasn't got around to ranking him yet.

There's also disparity regarding Canteen's height: Rivals lists him at 6'3", while the other three services peg him at 6'0" or 6'1", with all four listing him around 170-175 pounds. Reports out of Michigan's camp suggest Rivals may be giving him a couple extra inches — onlookers posited that he's in the 6'0" range.

SCOUTING

What do you do when your team doesn't really play a season? If you're ECA, apparently work on technique. A lot. The captivating video of ECA players going through footwork drills has made the rounds in this space; here's a sampling (Canteen is the guy going through on his own):

Once you've broken out of your trance, you may go "wow, that guy has really quick feet," and you would be right. It's near-impossible to come across an evaluation of Canteen that doesn't mention his excellent route-running. Here's Adam Friedman on Canteen's performance at an April Rivals camp in New Jersey ($):

There may not have been a better route-runner on the field than Canteen.If he gets a clean release from the line, the defensive backs were rarely able to catch up and make a play on the ball.One of the things that stood out about Canteen was his explosiveness out of his breaks. One multiple occasions, Canteen fooled the defensive back with a hitch-and-go route and ending up with a wide open touchdown catch. Two things Canteen can work on are breaking press coverage and getting stronger so that he doesn't get bumped off his route.

Sills and Canteen connected often during this weekend. The 6-foot-0, 175-pound receiver was very difficult to defend and his routes were some of the best out of the entire camp. Canteen did plenty of talking on both days, but he backed it up every time.

Canteen got the job done on both sides of the ball during the tournament. During the first day, he was one of the defensive leaders as his Flash Training squad did not allow a score. On Day 2 during the playoffs, Canteen excelled in finding openings across the middle and his impressive route running was highlighted by a few double moves that led to easy scores.

“Freddy Canteen is, in my opinion, the best route runner in the country. I think every camp that he goes to, people get a chance to find that out,” Thomas said.

I think you get the picture. Canteen's slight frame means he has trouble getting off the line against more physical corners—adding strength, as with all recruits, is a big priority—but if he gets into his route cleanly, it's very difficult to stick to him in the open field.

While his route-running gets most of the attention, Canteen reportedly has a good pair of hands, too. Scout's Brian Dohn praised his catching at the NLA 7-on-7 tourney in April ($)...

Canteen is smooth and quick, and he got out of breaks quickly. ECA is usually a well-drilled 7-on-7 squad, so the ball is shared a lot. But when Canteen was given a chance, he got open and made several nice catches, including a beautiful one in the corner of the end zone in which he was pushed and still got his foot down and secured the catch. If ECA’s season didn’t end in the first month last year, Canteen would easily be a double-digit offer player.

Canteen, who said Rutgers is his leader, may have been hurt more than anyone by ECA’s season being suspended last year after three games because he would likely be sitting on a ton of offers. Canteen is smooth, and comes out of breaks well. He also showed good hands once again.

Note that Dohn is very much among those saying Canteen should have a higher recruiting profile — that may signal a future jump in his ranking on Scout.

Freddy Canteen - Eastern Christian Academy (Md.)
Canteen may be a little slight of build but he makes up for it in speed. He can cover a lot of ground in a hurry and had no trouble getting separation on deep routes. Canteen is a definite home run threat, who proved he could go deep on the best defensive backs at the camp.

Still developing from a technique standpoint with his hands, something that can be said for all high school wide outs, Canteen took some coaching and implemented it right away in the top group for the afternoon 1-on-1’s, blowing by corners attempting to press, sprinting across the field on quick slants. Canteen is around 6-0 and has the frame to add some muscle but maintain that speed of his, undoubtedly earning his Michigan offer and one of the true highlights on day three at camp.

Canteen has excellent footwork at the line of scrimmage and can get past bump-and-run coverage. He has very good body control and does a nice job of adjusting to the ball when it’s in the air. Canteen isn’t afraid to go over the middle on square-ins or drag patterns. After the catch, Canteen shows he can make defenders miss and get positive yards. Canteen shows great effort to block in the run game, but it is not a strongpoint for him. Canteen has good short area quickness but not great overall speed.

It's not a surprise to see Canteen's blocking isn't at a high level given his frame; the comment about his speed is in direct conflict with other reports, worth noting considering the lack of exposure and extensive game film. Given that Brewster's evaluation is based on a short video clip, while the others are in-person reports, in my (admittedly biased) mind the reports that he has impressive speed carry more weight.

At worst, Michigan appears to have a very solid slot candidate — with his route-running acumen, Canteen is an ideal type of receiver to have operating in the middle of the field. If he's a home run threat on top of that, he could be very productive. Strength, obviously, is something he'll have to work on.

OFFERS

Michigan was Canteen's most prestigious offer; he also held offers from UConn, Hawaii, Maryland, Rutgers, Temple, and Tennessee. The Vols, like the Wolverines, offered Canteen after seeing him camp at their school, so Michigan's coaches weren't the only high-profile staff impressed by his talent in person.

STATS

According to his Scout profile, Canteen caught six passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in ECA's three games last fall.

FAKE 40 TIME

Rivals lists a 4.43-second 40 time, which is elite-level speed if that's an electronic time. I can't find the source of that time on Google; while it sounds like Canteen is quite fast indeed, that time gets three FAKEs out of five.

VIDEO

As you can imagine, there isn't much video out there on Canteen. Here's an interview with a few clips from a NUC camp back in 2011:

And I can't resist posting the entrancing footwork video again:

There are also a couple short cut-ups from 2011 on Canteen's Hudl page. Here's hoping ECA plays a full season this fall so he can put together a real highlight video.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Canteen is going to have a real chance to see the field early. When he gets to campus, only 2013 signee Da'Mario Jones is projected to be on the roster at slot receiver, and those two should battle it out to replace Drew Dileo in 2014.

It's impossible to make any sort of prediction about Canteen's potential impact without relying entirely on camp reports and the like, so I won't bother. If he's the speedy technician he's made out to be above, however, then I think the Wolverines got a major steal here.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

As I said in the intro, Canteen's commitment is another sign that Michigan won't be landing Artavis Scott this week; given Scott's accelerated timeline after visiting Clemson, this was assumed anyway. The Wolverines could be done at receiver, especially with four-star K.J. Williams leaning towards Syracuse, or they may add one more if the numbers allow.

Needs in the class going forward include one more offensive lineman (probably a tackle), a couple defensive linemen (you all know the main targets there), another linebacker, and safety.

Reality Check

I'm beginning this draft on Thursday morning, and four-star IL OL Jamarco Jones is scheduled to choose between Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State at 2 pm. It doesn't seem like any insiders have a great feel for his destination, but the general consensus is that it's unlikely to be Michigan. This means a head-to-head loss against either MSU or OSU; you can decide for yourselves which one of those is the least undesirable scenario.

PRE-POST UPDATE: It's Ohio State, as most everyone predicted. This is certainly a tough loss for Michigan, though it's worse for MSU, which needs more depth—not to mention high-end talent—on the offensive line. If you still need to feel better (and you might before the end of this section), there's always being Not Illinois:

BREAKING: A top recruit in the state of Illinois commits to a school outside the state of Illinois

Meanwhile, the tide appears to have shifted dramatically in the recruitment of FL WR Artavis Scott, who said this after a return visit to Clemson last weekend, per Rivals ($)...

So, which school is recruiting him the hardest to ensure they get an official visit?

"Clemson. I'm building a great relationship with Coach [Tony] Elliott and Coach [Jeff] Scott. When I'm there I talk to Coach [Dabo] Swinney and guys like Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins. They tell me how it is and my bond is growing with Clemson," stated Scott.

The Opening starts on Sunday, though Scott's announcement will likely come later in the event, which runs through next Wednesday. Regardless of when he makes the call, it's a bad sign that Scott suddenly decided to announce (1) on the heels of a Clemson visit and (2) before a planned trip to the BBQ at the Big House. For his part, though, Scott is at least keeping up the appearance of being undecided:

It should come down to Michigan and Clemson; the Tigers appear to have the edge.

Scott's five-star 2015 teammate, ATH George Campbell, told Scout's Amy Campbell that he still wants to visit for the BBQ with Scott and commit Mason Cole, but he's unsure it it'll happen—though it appears this depends more on Cole's plans than Scott's ($). Campbell also mentions plans for a return trip to Clemson, saying "it's basically family," so... crap. Projections have quickly shifted from Michigan potentially getting all three of the East Lake trio to just the one they have in hand.

To keep the good vibes going, Tim Sullivan caught up with CA CB Adoree' Jackson; recent buzz surrounding Jackson and Michigan has been quite positive, but this is a cold dose of reality ($):

"That's going to be the main factor," [Jackson] said of a school's track program. "That's the biggest. It's probably one of my biggest things right up there with education."

...

Michigan's standing in his recruitment may suffer from Jackson's intense focus on track. The Wolverines are currently without a track coach following the retirement of longtime coach Fred LaPlante, and U-M's program has not been on the national stage in quite some time - the last national title came in 1923.

Jackson still plans to spend part of the summer in his native state of Illinois, but told Tim that he's "not really worried about" taking the time to head up to Michigan's BBQ. The Wolverines are still slated to get an offical visit, per Scout's Greg Biggins($), but at this point they're a heavy underdog against the likes of USC, UCLA, Florida, and LSU.

So, not a good week for pipe dream class projections, then. Please don't shoot the messenger.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup. I swear there's good news in there.]

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

The recruiting services are split on the #1 overall prospect in the 2014 class; Rivals and 247 give VA DE Da'Shawn Hand top honors, while LA RB Leonard Fournette earns that distinction on Scout and ESPN. Michigan is among the top contenders for Hand, of course, and Fournette is a lock to stay in the SEC, either at LSU or Alabama. Unless...

LSU and Alabama are the teams to beat for five-star New Orleans-St. Augustine running back Leonard Fournette.

Except Fournette says it isn't so.

"That's not accurate," Fournette said Thursday, insisting he doesn't yet have any favorites among a list of offers so long he's stopped counting.

Well, then. The article by al.com's Mike Herndon names two other schools Fournette has visited—Florida State and Texas—as well as a certain program he's strongly considering for an official visit; yes, Michigan:

"You could say that (top prospects) pay attention to where other guys go," Fournette told Rivals.com. "I like Michigan. School-wise, they're more focused on grades than football. That's what I like about them. I think Jabrill made a good choice."

This is not happening. I refuse to believe this is happening. I will refuse to believe it even if Fournette makes it to campus, and will cease disbelief if—and only if—Fournette's name is signed in ink on a LOI faxed directly to Schembechler Hall in February. At that point, I'll still consider the whole thing a cruel hoax until Fournette actually suits up in a Michigan uniform.

(Don't Don't Don't) Don't Stop The Beat

Michigan four-day technique camp concludes today, and while coverage is still trickling in, there are already offers to report for both the 2014 and 2015 classes.

Let's start with the 2014 class, which had offers go out to a pair of high school teammates in WR Freddy Canteen and CB Brandon Watson. Both prospects attend Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy, which is essentially this sport's answer to hoops factory Oak Hill Academy—the academy itself is built entirely around the football program and attendees take their coursework through a larger online program. Their quarterback is David Sills, whom you may remember as the (then-)13-year-old who committed to USC, and now you exactly why USC offered such a player so early: his father, David Sills IV, is the founder of ECA. The program only played three games in 2012, as five opponents cancelled planned matchups, so what you see above—serious technique work (that's Canteen talking at the start of the video)—is what largely constituted their season, and now they're hitting the camp circuit very hard.

It's of little surprise, then, that Canteen and Watson were flying a bit under the radar heading into camp. It's also of little surprise that Canteen is really, really good at running routes. Here's 247 on Canteen from earlier this spring [emphasis mine]:

11) WR Freddy Canteen – Elkton (Md.) Eastern Christian Sills and Canteen connected often during this weekend. The 6-foot-0, 175-pound receiver was very difficult to defend and his routes were some of the best out of the entire camp. Canteen did plenty of talking on both days, but he backed it up every time.

Catching GoBlueWolverine’s eye in the morning 1-on-1’s and 7-on-7, Canteen is extremely quick and very difficult to slow down off the line. Still developing from a technique standpoint with his hands, something that can be said for all high school wide outs, Canteen took some coaching and implemented it right away in the top group for the afternoon 1-on-1’s, blowing by corners attempting to press, sprinting across the field on quick slants. Canteen is around 6-0 and has the frame to add some muscle but maintain that speed of his, undoubtedly earning his Michigan offer and one of the true highlights on day three at camp.

The big question to arise from Canteen's offer, of course, is how this affects the current scholarship situation; while we previously thought Michigan would take one more receiver—Artavis Scott, hopefully—it appears that's not the case:

"Rutgers is still high with me," said Canteen, who was told the Wolverines would be taking two additional receivers in the class of 2014. "I don't know why people don't think that. You could still say Rutgers is my favorite school. There are a lot of mixed emotions when I really think about everything, but the top three are Rutgers, Michigan and Tennessee.

Watson's offer raises similar questions about defensive backfield recruiting—with Jabrill Peppers in the fold and Parrker Westphal a presumed commitment, space in the secondary appears tight, especially if Michigan is a serious player for CA DB Adoree' Jackson (and I believe they are). Westphal's recruitment has gone oddly quiet, so perhaps there's been some cooling off from one end or the other, which would explain why a longtime presumed lock has yet to pull the trigger—I'd compare it to the Tommy Doles situation, but Westphal's initial offer and fit with the team made a lot more sense in the first place.

"Michigan is definitely right up there," Watson noted. "It's Michigan. They have top of the line facilities and academics and an amazing football program. They pretty much offer everything you're looking for. I am still going to take my time before deciding, however. I'll be up at USC pretty soon and then want to visit a few schools that I am considering most. I hope to decide before my season starts. Michigan will definitely be a return visit."

Watson missed a golden chance for a "fergodsakes," but maybe he'll learn about that on visit number two. Canteen also expressed a desire to return to Ann Arbor before making a pre-season decision; if both players make it back to campus, it sounds like the Wolverines have a good shot at adding to their class. Even if they don't, it looks like the coaches are making inroads with a program that's churning out D-I prospects.

[Hit THE JUMP for the latest on 2015 offers, including a legacy who could pull the trigger imminently, and much more.]

Hey kids. This is a wiki page, but it's kind of tough to modify if you don't know HTML very well. If you're adding or moving a player, go into the source and C&P two rows (ie, everything between the <tr> and </tr>) you would like to move or copy elsewhere. Don't worry if you screw it up, we can fix it. Images for new commits should be 85 pixels wide.

Legend:

Icon

Name

Meaning

Sad Josh

The genre of player with unrequited interest in Michigan. Unlikely to receive offers; most will eventually fade off the list and go to Duke or Michigan State or something.

Nefarious Eduardo

Player is a longshot. Either they've declared someone else a leader publicly or popular opinion holds that they're likely to go to another school.

Data

Either no opinion or Michigan is one of a fairly even group of chasing schools. Players in this category maintain no leader or change their leader frequently. The default category for players that we don't know much about yet.

Happy Teeth

Players who have Michigan in a small leading group or have Michigan as a tenuous favorite. Should be regarded as a good shot, not a slam dunk.

Mr. Blue

Player is either a verbal or is expected to be one sooner or later. Players with this designation are 65%+ to be Michigan commits.

Additional note: (EE) next to a Michigan commit indicates the player intends to enroll early.

RUNNING BACK

NEEDS: 0-1. With Smith and Green in the last class and Mikey Weber and Damien Harris strong candidates to end up in the next one, Michigan could skip the spot entirely this year. May as well swing for the fences though.

STATUS: Ask again later. A few offers are out, but no one has Michigan in a small leading group.

COMMITTED

nyet

PRIME TARGETS

Player

State

Stars

Visit

Offer

List

Feeling

Kalen Ballage

CO

4

No

M, UNL, Oregon, Boise, ASU, CU

Athlete-type prospect has versatility to also play LB or WR. Mentioned Michigan as one of the schools after him hardest in early May. Oregon will be a threat if they offer.

Jonathan Hilliman

NJ

3

No

OSU, M, Bama, RU, Vandy, Miami

Claims offers from entire planet and had ordered top ten as of two months ago featuring the great old rivals at the top. Now down to six. Carlos Hyde-type back.

FRINGE TARGETS

Player

State

Stars

Visit

Offer

List

Feeling

Joe Mixon

CA

5

No

open, but USC

Super-touted CA back could go anywhere but will probably end up at USC. Planning a midwest swing later this summer, though.

Leonard Fournette

LA

5

No

open, but LSU.

File under pipe dream, but has been chatting with Jabrill Peppers and other #team135 kids on twitter. EDIT: As of 6/7, Rivals reports Fournette wants an official visit to Michigan.

Shai McKenzie

PA

4

No

15 schools, but VT

Has M in a wide open top 15 he plans on halving in the near future, but says he feels like "he may not be a major priority($)" what with Green around.

WIDE RECEIVER

NEEDS: 3-4.

STATUS: Michigan acquired two lanky outside receivers in Mo Ways and Drake Harris. Now they're hunting either a slot or another big ol' guy.

COMMITTED

Player

State

Stars

Visit

Offer

Suitors

Drake Harris

MI

4.5

Yes

OSU, MSU, Bama, UF, FSU

Hello post. MSU decommit saw the light as soon as his freakish football potential ended plans to play basketball. Has the frame, speed, and body control to be a lethal deep threat. PYMRMFSPA: Braylon.

Mo Ways

MI

3.25

Yes

Iowa, RU

Hello post. Long leaper has top end speed and hands issues. A 6'4" Junior Hemingway. Inexperienced, so should improve. PYMRMFSPA: Marquise Walker.

PRIME TARGETS

Player

State

Stars

Visit

Offer

List

Feeling

KJ Williams

PA

4

Yes

M, Syracuse

Named Michigan his leader after a spring visit, but still has not pulled the trigger. Getting a you-snooze-you-lose vibe on this one. Update: Committed to Syracuse, off board.

Artavis Scott

FL

4

Yes

Clemson

Teammate of OL commit Mason Cole backed off package deal plans when Cole pulled the trigger; still has M interest. Plans to attend the BBQ later this summer. More of a slot guy, so fits well with the commits. Feeling pretty good you guys. Update: committed to Clemson, off board.

FRINGE TARGETS

Player

State

Stars

Visit

Offer

List

Feeling

Jalen Brown

AZ

4.5

Yes

open

Will be tough to pry Brown out of the west but does plan a Midwest swing this summer. High-academic kid interested in NW and Vandy, so up M's alley.

Corey Holmes

FL

4

No

open

Grew up childhood M fan but seems to have moved on to other schools. Has visited ND and OU but not M since camping last summer. Update: Committed to ND, off board.

EVEN FRINGIER: LA WR Malachi Dupre, AZ WR Mark Andrews.

TIGHT END

NEEDS: 1.

STATUS: Check.

COMMITTED

Player

State

Stars

Visit

Offer

Suitors

Ian Bunting

IL

3.5

Yes

ND, OSU, USC, OU, VT, Neb, UW, UO

Hello post. Enormous, lanky pass catcher with skillet-sized hands has buckets of potential. Injury shortened both his junior and sophomore years, leading to wide split in rankings. Going to need a lot of weight to block anyone, but lookit dem hands. PYMRMFSPA: Tacopants is real!

OFFENSIVE LINE

NEEDS: 3.

STATUS: One tackle and one guard are in. Michigan would like another tackle, it seems. Vague possibility they go to four if they have room in January and there's a guy they like; at this rate those spots will be filled by bionic defensive backs.

COMMITTED

Player

State

Stars

Visit

Offer

Suitors

Juwann Bushell-Beatty

NJ

3.5

Yes

UF, FSU, Miami, Rutgers, MSU

Hello post. Big split in rankings, significant dispute as to size amongst sites. Raw; just one year of varsity. Developmental prospect. Peppers teammate. PYMRFSPA: Logan Tuley-Tillman, down to the hyphen.

PRIME TARGETS

Player

State

Stars

Visit

Offer

List

Feeling

Jamarco Jones

IL

4

Yes

OSU, M, MSU, ND

Announcing June 27th, visiting everyone in his final four beforehand. OSU the e-leader, but Jones maintains everyone is even. Core 6 guy. A little short for tackle but long arms make up for it. Update: committed to Ohio State, off board.

FRINGE TARGETS

Player

State

Stars

Visit

Offer

List

Feeling

Frank Ragnow

MN

3

No

No

open

#2 prospect in Minnesota has some midlevel B10 offers; headed to SMSB in an effort to impress the Michigan schools.

Michael Grimm

PA

3.5

No

No

Pitt leads

Yes, That Grimm. Son of former Hog currently favors Pitt but big offers could shake up his recruitment. Planning on taking his recruitment into January, so may be looking for bigger offers. Update: Committed to Pitt, off board.

Alex Bookser

PA

4

No

No

top eight featuring OSU, Pitt

Michigan didn't make the kid's top eight announced in late May but hasn't offered.

Andrew Mike

AZ

3.5

No

No

open

Tackle prospect at 6'7". Plans a visit. High academic kid will look at Stanford extensively.

Roderick Johnson

MO

4

Yes

open

Also 6'7", swung through Michigan early this year. Has not even come close to defining a top list; planning a SE set of trips over the summer. Epinion has Johnson to FSU.

Braden Smith

OK

4

Yes

open, but A&M and ND

Visited M; won't narrow until September. With others leading Michigan has to get an official to have a chance.

EVEN FRINGIER: MD OT Damian Prince is a five-star-ish guy with M outside his top five. He plans a Signing Day announcement, though, so there's time to make up ground.